{"id":31312,"date":"2020-02-07T15:08:29","date_gmt":"2020-02-07T23:08:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.trainerroad.com\/?p=31312"},"modified":"2020-07-27T14:22:49","modified_gmt":"2020-07-27T21:22:49","slug":"how-to-train-with-a-busy-schedule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/how-to-train-with-a-busy-schedule\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Train With a Busy Schedule"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A busy schedule can make it tough to stick to a training plan. While balancing your training and your schedule might be tricky, there are plenty of ways to make a low volume plan fit into your week. Picking the right training plan and learning how to make adjustments to this plan can help you get faster and achieve your goals.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information on training and planning check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zoSO_zUho6o\">Ask A Cycling Coach Ep 241<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/https:\/\/youtu.be\/nIe6MToOjws\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-load-mode=\"1\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mce_4\">Training With Limited Time<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Limited time to train usually means that some workouts need to be cut short and some weeks need to be lower in volume. Before you can adjust your workouts you&#8217;ll need to choose a good training plan. The best plan will be the plan that makes the most of your time and works for your schedule. Depending on your circumstances this could mean getting a little creative with Plan Builder, or jumping into a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/cycling\/plans\/category\/23-enthusiast\">Time Crunch Plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Complete a Plan Builder Plan (With Some Adjustments!)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re training for an event or working to achieve a specific goal, your best bet is to create a plan with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/introducing-plan-builder\/\">Plan Builder<\/a>. Plan Builder will give you the structure you need to reach peak fitness in time for your goal event. With Plan Builder and <a href=\"https:\/\/support.trainerroad.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/360015831912-What-is-Calendar-\">Calendar<\/a>, you can adjust and optimize the training to fit your schedule <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can adjust your plan by swapping a workout that is too long for a shorter version that trains the same energy systems. Most workouts in the TrainerRoad library come in multiple versions so it\u2019s usually easy to find a substitute. This strategy gives you the chance to swap workouts while giving you the chance to do the longer versions when you have more time.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Using Plan Builder comes with a lot of added benefits since you can always change the workouts when you need to. The greatest benefit is your training will target specific adaptations that will help you at your goal event. If you are training for an event while managing a busy schedule, Plan Builder and Calendar will help you build towards your goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Complete a Time Crunch Plan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you usually have less than an hour to train in a single session, a time crunch plan might be the best fit. These plans maintain your general fitness through a collection of short workouts that touch on all the major energy systems. This structure has the potential to promote significant adaptations for athletes who are new to structured training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These eight-week blocks can be repeated as many times as you\u2019d like. If you choose to repeat the Time Crunch plans, it\u2019s important to note that these plans don\u2019t have a lot of variation and there are no recovery weeks integrated. If you see yourself using these plans for a prolonged period of time, take a week in between blocks to do some easy workouts and recover from the intensity <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While these plans are an effective way to maintain fitness, you can make limited progress with a Time Crunch plan. If you are new to structured training, there is more potential for considerable adaptations and increased strength with prolonged use. If you are a cyclist with a stronger foundation and established experience you may not see as much progress. You will still be able to maintain fitness and touch up different energy systems but you likely won\u2019t see the same progress you would with a traditional Base, Build, and Speciality progression. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Make Adjustments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When you know you don\u2019t have enough time to complete a workout in your Calendar, swap it out for a shorter version. For example, if you have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/cycling\/workouts\/1254-carson\">Carson<\/a> on your training plan but you only have 45 minutes to train that day, put <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/cycling\/workouts\/115631-carson-4\">Carson -4<\/a> on the Calendar. If you have half an hour to train put <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/cycling\/workouts\/81820-carson-5\">Carson -5<\/a> on the Calendar. You can achieve a lot of the same adaptations by completing workouts that train the same energy systems, even without the longer durations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With that said, not every workout comes in a smaller package. When you search for an alternative to your workout, you may find that there isn\u2019t a shortened version. You\u2019ll need to find a different workout that trains the same energy systems. To do this, look at the type of workout you are doing. For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/cycling\/workouts\/21542-pettit\">Pettit<\/a> doesn\u2019t have a shorter version but is an Endurance workout. When you are in the workout library, you can filter workouts by intensity level and duration. If you want to do a 45-minute ride endurance ride, you can use the filters and find <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/cycling\/workouts\/18056-carter\">Carter<\/a>. It\u2019s a 45-minute endurance workout and a great alternative to Pettit! Pretty much any workout can be swapped for another workout that works on the same energy systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the end of the day, if you don\u2019t have time to look for an alternative, you can always cut a workout short. Getting on the trainer, and completing half of a workout is better than skipping an entire workout. Not being able to complete the workout in its entirety doesn\u2019t discount any of the work that you are doing. When you don\u2019t have time to swap in an alternative, go ahead and complete as much of the scheduled workout as you can.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Every Ride is a Win!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>No matter how you choose to get your training done, remember that any ride you can do is a win. Hopping on the trainer or getting out for a ride isn\u2019t always easy &#8211; especially when you have a million other things going on. But any time you can fit some training into your day, you are making a physical progression and conquering a mental limitation. It\u2019s all about finding a balanced training schedule that still leaves you with the time you need for everything else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>For more cycling training knowledge, listen to <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/podcast?utm_source=TrainerRoad%20Blog&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=How%20to%20Train%20with%20a%20Busy%20Schedule&amp;utm_content=bottom%20podcast%20cta\" target=\"_blank\">the Ask a Cycling Coach \u2014 the only podcast dedicated to making you a faster cyclist<\/a>. New episodes are released weekly.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A busy schedule can make it tough to stick to a training plan. While balancing your training and a busy schedule can be tricky, there are plenty of ways to make a low volume plan fit for you. Picking the right training plan and learning how to make adjustments to this plan can help you get faster and achieve your goals.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":31314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[1588,90,2977,495,2801,567,675,709],"class_list":["post-31312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-training","tag-busy","tag-busy-schedule","tag-customize","tag-plan","tag-plan-builder","tag-schedule","tag-time-crunch","tag-training"],"cc_featured_image_caption":{"caption_text":false,"source_text":false,"source_url":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31312"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31312\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}